thebookguru's review against another edition
5.0
ah i love Sally Gardner and her books always amaze me. so beautifully written and an intriguing idea. a memory machine but you can relive the best and worst memories.
it kind of reminded me of frankenstein because of the idea of creating something new and the power of science etc.
her imagination is incredible, the writing is beautiful and the story is fantastic.
i don't often say this but i think this would translate into a really awesome movie. it's really quite haunting and not for younger readers and it's a lot to take in but yeah i thoroughly enjoyed it. =)
Happy Readying =D
it kind of reminded me of frankenstein because of the idea of creating something new and the power of science etc.
her imagination is incredible, the writing is beautiful and the story is fantastic.
i don't often say this but i think this would translate into a really awesome movie. it's really quite haunting and not for younger readers and it's a lot to take in but yeah i thoroughly enjoyed it. =)
Happy Readying =D
mychemicalseal's review against another edition
3.0
not sure how to rate the book? some parts are super compelling and the plot is so gripping and interesting, and beautifully written. but there's a few loose ends/plot reveals that were already obvious or revealed and I really can't get past the rape scene or the weirdly graphic sexual scenes? so close to being a 4/5 but it kind of ruined the whole book for me
geekylou's review against another edition
2.0
This was OK to start with but didn't really grip me at all and had moments I didn't think I would finish. Not the best book but OK if you want something different.
neurodivengeance's review against another edition
4.0
Most of this review is spoilers. Content notes for the book: rape, child rape (teenager), domestic abuse (familial legacy of, some graphic scenes of both paternal and maternal abuse: violence, neglect, violent neglect). The first rape (of a teenager) happens very early in the narrative.
Problems:
- Tommy as 'autistic angel.' The memory machine *curing* Tommy of the "worst" of his neurodivergence. Then he gets married! Cos he's almost normal now! Fuck off. He is such an unrealised character, un-fleshed out. He doesn't seem to have any actual faults. I just ... let autistic characters be actual people?????
- the repeated insistence that the "cure" for child abuse is romantic love. It isn't. Sure - experiencing love as it is supposed to be, as a feeling of warmth and safety with someone that knows you and whom you know, is healing to me as a survivor. I need it. But the belief that this love needs to be romantic has caused me a lot of pain, encouraged me to have multiple relationships with unsuitable people, some of whom were abusive themselves. This kind of romanticising of recovery - narratively placing it in the hands of one person - might be tempting to do, but it was a let-down for me. I think Amaryllis deserves better than to have her sense of stability be dependent on someone other than herself.
- the ending was a disappointment. Sure, it was sad when it seemed like Ezra and Amaryllis had to be separated into different worlds. (It was sadder to me that Amaryllis was stuck in the horrible, memory machine world.) But then when she came out and they reunited it just felt a bit forced. Having read Maggot Moon, I was expecting a twist of the knife, and I was ok with that. But then I got a sickly happy ending and it was just a bit of a disappointing way to close.
Spoiler
For the most part, I really enjoyed this. The setting was great, the characters were mostly believable, and it was really healing to see Amaryllis navigate sex after her rape experience, and all the active consent involved in her relationship with Ezra. The idea of the memory machine was compelling and terrifying and, while familial legacies of abuse were a plot point, they were not used as a plot device. This book says something very real about those patterns.Problems:
- Tommy as 'autistic angel.' The memory machine *curing* Tommy of the "worst" of his neurodivergence. Then he gets married! Cos he's almost normal now! Fuck off. He is such an unrealised character, un-fleshed out. He doesn't seem to have any actual faults. I just ... let autistic characters be actual people?????
- the repeated insistence that the "cure" for child abuse is romantic love. It isn't. Sure - experiencing love as it is supposed to be, as a feeling of warmth and safety with someone that knows you and whom you know, is healing to me as a survivor. I need it. But the belief that this love needs to be romantic has caused me a lot of pain, encouraged me to have multiple relationships with unsuitable people, some of whom were abusive themselves. This kind of romanticising of recovery - narratively placing it in the hands of one person - might be tempting to do, but it was a let-down for me. I think Amaryllis deserves better than to have her sense of stability be dependent on someone other than herself.
- the ending was a disappointment. Sure, it was sad when it seemed like Ezra and Amaryllis had to be separated into different worlds. (It was sadder to me that Amaryllis was stuck in the horrible, memory machine world.) But then when she came out and they reunited it just felt a bit forced. Having read Maggot Moon, I was expecting a twist of the knife, and I was ok with that. But then I got a sickly happy ending and it was just a bit of a disappointing way to close.
serendipity_viv's review against another edition
5.0
This book really took me by surprise. I didn't realise I would love it quite as much as I did. From the very first chapter, I felt my spine tingling as the picture palace came to life and became a character in its own right. I wanted to follow Amaryllis into the picture house too. From the beginning the picture palace, seemed so magical, like an extra from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It is only as you progress through the story that you realise you have been wearing rose tinted glasses and the picture palace has developed a hidden agenda.
The story is told from multiple points of view, which allowed me to feel like God looking down on all my minions. The author allowed me to flit between their worlds and see straight into their inner most thoughts. This is a time travel book of sorts, but Sally Gardner puts her own unique slant on it, making it a true original.
You are convinced to begin with that Amaryllis is the main character of the book,then half way through you realise that this was just a ruse, and that really Ezra is the main character. Amaryllis becomes an enigma within the story, leaving everyone on the outside bewildered and confused. Ezra becomes so strong as he defies the picture palace to discover the truth. At the heart of the book is a beautiful, innocent love story that even time cannot stop. As time progresses outside the picture palace, you see the true effects that the Second World War had on Great Britain and how people really suffered.
Sally Gardner writes beautifully. I was in awe of her use of metaphors and similes. You can tell that Sally used to be an illustrator, because when she writes, she not only tells a story, she paints a picture with words. She is so descriptive you not only see the landscape, you step into it.
Here are some examples.
Unknown to him, his future became mixed with Amaryllis's, so that by the time the oven door was opened, the spell had been well and truly baked, his destiny altered by the making of a cake.
Amaryllis knew her father's furious silence was filled with unspoken words she couldn't help hearing.
Arnold lit a cigarette, inhaled and, an enraged dragon, blew the smoke from his nose.
The book is full of lines and paragraphs like this, which had the writer in me ready to throw my pens and paper in the nearest fireplace, as dreams of being able to write so beautifully were left abandoned in tatters on the floor. I nearly gave up my NaNoWriMo story because of this book, as I just couldn't see how I could ever write as poetically as Sally Gardner does.
The storyline is original and intriguing.I devoured it in two days and felt like the book had enveloped me and wouldn't free me until all the pieces had been put back into place. The book is breathtaking and original. One that will become a comfort read of the future, a true literary treasure to be enjoyed again and again.
The story is told from multiple points of view, which allowed me to feel like God looking down on all my minions. The author allowed me to flit between their worlds and see straight into their inner most thoughts. This is a time travel book of sorts, but Sally Gardner puts her own unique slant on it, making it a true original.
You are convinced to begin with that Amaryllis is the main character of the book,then half way through you realise that this was just a ruse, and that really Ezra is the main character. Amaryllis becomes an enigma within the story, leaving everyone on the outside bewildered and confused. Ezra becomes so strong as he defies the picture palace to discover the truth. At the heart of the book is a beautiful, innocent love story that even time cannot stop. As time progresses outside the picture palace, you see the true effects that the Second World War had on Great Britain and how people really suffered.
Sally Gardner writes beautifully. I was in awe of her use of metaphors and similes. You can tell that Sally used to be an illustrator, because when she writes, she not only tells a story, she paints a picture with words. She is so descriptive you not only see the landscape, you step into it.
Here are some examples.
Unknown to him, his future became mixed with Amaryllis's, so that by the time the oven door was opened, the spell had been well and truly baked, his destiny altered by the making of a cake.
Amaryllis knew her father's furious silence was filled with unspoken words she couldn't help hearing.
Arnold lit a cigarette, inhaled and, an enraged dragon, blew the smoke from his nose.
The book is full of lines and paragraphs like this, which had the writer in me ready to throw my pens and paper in the nearest fireplace, as dreams of being able to write so beautifully were left abandoned in tatters on the floor. I nearly gave up my NaNoWriMo story because of this book, as I just couldn't see how I could ever write as poetically as Sally Gardner does.
The storyline is original and intriguing.I devoured it in two days and felt like the book had enveloped me and wouldn't free me until all the pieces had been put back into place. The book is breathtaking and original. One that will become a comfort read of the future, a true literary treasure to be enjoyed again and again.
totemskin's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
patchworkbunny's review
3.0
Memories make us who we are, good and bad. Should we be able to pick and choose and will bad memories always be stronger than the good?
There are lots of excellent ideas and some beautiful writing in The Double Shadow however I felt I had to struggle through the first half to get there. At the start Amaryllis is portrayed as selfish and cruel, a thoroughly unlikable privileged young girl, though with enough hints to say this isn’t how she is deep down. She is raped, her memory wrapping round the event with its own version. She isn’t given sympathy and so her contempt is justified but it is misdirected.
The story is fairly linear apart from the first chapter, which introduces a scene from much later on. I was pretty confused for a while as to the timeline, not quite grasping Amaryllis’ memory loss to be from much earlier on. Her memory disappeared, whether on purpose or through illness, to mask a childhood trauma, that much is clear. That she is then raped, made me connect that act to her memory loss, which just left me trying to pick up strands that weren’t there.
However, roll in the memory machine and things pick up. Things make more sense and the pace speeds up. I loved the idea of the picture palace containing a world built on happy memories, and the resulting environment, of course, not living up to expectations. I would have liked more of the book spent on the memory machine and not the longwinded build up. Her circumstances are important, but they could have been introduced more through her memories.
Whilst it’s set against the backdrop of war, it’s not a war story. Yes, it touches on how memories of war can ruin minds and the threat of the memory machine as a weapon. The military offers new opportunities for young men like Ezra. However, Amaryllis stays untouched by the war, she has her own horror to contend with. It is a reminder that people still continue to live their own stories during war time, even if they have to constant reminder of impending disaster on their doorstep.
There are lots of excellent ideas and some beautiful writing in The Double Shadow however I felt I had to struggle through the first half to get there. At the start Amaryllis is portrayed as selfish and cruel, a thoroughly unlikable privileged young girl, though with enough hints to say this isn’t how she is deep down. She is raped, her memory wrapping round the event with its own version. She isn’t given sympathy and so her contempt is justified but it is misdirected.
The story is fairly linear apart from the first chapter, which introduces a scene from much later on. I was pretty confused for a while as to the timeline, not quite grasping Amaryllis’ memory loss to be from much earlier on. Her memory disappeared, whether on purpose or through illness, to mask a childhood trauma, that much is clear. That she is then raped, made me connect that act to her memory loss, which just left me trying to pick up strands that weren’t there.
However, roll in the memory machine and things pick up. Things make more sense and the pace speeds up. I loved the idea of the picture palace containing a world built on happy memories, and the resulting environment, of course, not living up to expectations. I would have liked more of the book spent on the memory machine and not the longwinded build up. Her circumstances are important, but they could have been introduced more through her memories.
Whilst it’s set against the backdrop of war, it’s not a war story. Yes, it touches on how memories of war can ruin minds and the threat of the memory machine as a weapon. The military offers new opportunities for young men like Ezra. However, Amaryllis stays untouched by the war, she has her own horror to contend with. It is a reminder that people still continue to live their own stories during war time, even if they have to constant reminder of impending disaster on their doorstep.
frannyhaha's review
3.0
Great concept about a memory machine set in WW2, so many plot twists. amazing characters. Quite confusing at times.
bethkemp's review
5.0
Beautiful, haunting and evocative, this is a real book to lose yourself in. Recommended for teens upwards.
This novel is extraordinary. Lyrical, elusive and utterly compelling, it draws you and hooks you long before you have any real sense of exactly what is happening.
When I first read the info about this book, it made me think of Angela Carter - probably because of the surreal machine plan and the uncanny double idea hinted at in the title. That comparison was borne out in the reading, due to the lyrical beauty of Gardner's writing, the surrealism and the mythic sense of symbolism created. But that isn't to say this is a derivative work, by any means. This is a truly original novel with genuine literary quality. It's great to see something so unashamedly literary produced for teens.
The characters of Amaryllis and those around her are beautifully drawn and the period detail (the novel is set largely between the world wars) is informative, creating a realistic backdrop to the crazy memory machine. As well as the gorgeous and imagery-rich writing, we are drawn in by the characters' feelings and behaviour, which, together with the setting provide a grounded realism to support the extravagant fantasy of the memory machine, sited in the picture palace. This glorious building stands as a symbol of the nostalgia and unreality which haunt the inventor Ruben.
The narration shifts around in time, adding an additional layer of complexity to the plot, and contributing to the theme of the nature of memory. These shifts in time are matched with changes in tense, switching between a dreamy and fairytale-like past and an immediate and more charged present, giving a sense of urgency to these sections. The narration is all third person in an omniscient style, adding a further sense of the past due to the old-fashioned tone of this narrative style.
The novel has dark overtones and touches on some unpleasant themes. As Gardner stated in her guest post here as part of the blog tour for this book, the past contains some unpleasant truths and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise and prettify them in writing. This darkness, as well as the novel's complexity, make this a book suitable for teens and adults rather than children. I would strongly recommend it to anyone of around 14 and up.
Thank you to Indigo at Orion for sending this lovely book for review.
This novel is extraordinary. Lyrical, elusive and utterly compelling, it draws you and hooks you long before you have any real sense of exactly what is happening.
When I first read the info about this book, it made me think of Angela Carter - probably because of the surreal machine plan and the uncanny double idea hinted at in the title. That comparison was borne out in the reading, due to the lyrical beauty of Gardner's writing, the surrealism and the mythic sense of symbolism created. But that isn't to say this is a derivative work, by any means. This is a truly original novel with genuine literary quality. It's great to see something so unashamedly literary produced for teens.
The characters of Amaryllis and those around her are beautifully drawn and the period detail (the novel is set largely between the world wars) is informative, creating a realistic backdrop to the crazy memory machine. As well as the gorgeous and imagery-rich writing, we are drawn in by the characters' feelings and behaviour, which, together with the setting provide a grounded realism to support the extravagant fantasy of the memory machine, sited in the picture palace. This glorious building stands as a symbol of the nostalgia and unreality which haunt the inventor Ruben.
The narration shifts around in time, adding an additional layer of complexity to the plot, and contributing to the theme of the nature of memory. These shifts in time are matched with changes in tense, switching between a dreamy and fairytale-like past and an immediate and more charged present, giving a sense of urgency to these sections. The narration is all third person in an omniscient style, adding a further sense of the past due to the old-fashioned tone of this narrative style.
The novel has dark overtones and touches on some unpleasant themes. As Gardner stated in her guest post here as part of the blog tour for this book, the past contains some unpleasant truths and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise and prettify them in writing. This darkness, as well as the novel's complexity, make this a book suitable for teens and adults rather than children. I would strongly recommend it to anyone of around 14 and up.
Thank you to Indigo at Orion for sending this lovely book for review.